Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 10 March 2020
Prison riots hit Italy amid virus; 6 die in overdose

By NICOLE WINFIELD each prisoner. Anna, who
Associated Press declined to give her name,
ROME (AP) — Tensions in had brought her nephew
Italy's overcrowded pris- to visit her son at the Re-
ons erupted Monday over gina Coeli lock-up and was
new coronavirus contain- devastated that they both
ment measures, with riots couldn't go in. In the end,
in at least two dozen lock- she stayed outside and
ups and the deaths of six let her nephew go in "be-
inmates who broke into an cause it's also his birthday,
infirmary and overdosed on so it is fair that he's the one
methadone. to go inside."
Italy's national prisoner At Rome's other prison, Re-
rights advocate urged war- bibbia, relatives of inmates
dens to take immediate were joined by prisoner
measures to calm the situ- advocates who draped a
ation and mitigate the new banner across a police bar-
regulations, which include ricade reading "Free them
a suspension or limitation all." Capece accused the
of family visits as a way to government of abandon-
prevent transmission of the ing the prison system, re-
virus. fusing to provide sufficient
"The difficulty of accepting measures to prevent the
extreme measures is ac- A man stands on the roof of the San Vittore prison during a protest in Milan, Italy, Monday, March spread of the virus and
centuated in places where 9, 2020. Associated Press leaving guards on their
people don't have any own to deal with anxious,
freedom," the advocate the virus were hitting in- probably as a panic reac- dulto," Italian for pardon. irate prisoners.
said in a statement, urg- mates particularly hard, tion to limited accurate in- Later, prosecutors also "The administration is com-
ing wardens to provide in- given their awareness that formation about the mea- went up on the roof to listen pletely absent," he told
mates with greater access their overcrowded condi- sures and the virus' spread, to their grievances. Milan The Associated Press. "They
to information and phone tions made them vulnera- he said. Prosecutor Alberto Nobili have left the penitentiary
calls to family members. ble, said Alessio Scandurra, In one of the biggest ri- told Il Sole 24 Radio that the police in jeopardy."
The Italian government has coordinator of adult deten- ots Sunday, prisoners in inmates "have taken ad- He confirmed that pro-
issued sweeping measures tion advocacy at the An- Modena set mattresses on vantage of this particular tests had taken place in
to try to contain the virus, tigone Association, which fire. Six inmates died after moment to demand better more than two dozen pris-
limiting travel into and out lobbies for prisoner rights. they broke into the prison prison treatment, starting ons, including in Foggia
of northern regions, can- "In prisons in general, there's infirmary and overdosed with lessening the numbers" where some prisoners had
celing school nationwide, a lot of anxiety," he said in on methadone, which is of inmates. He noted San escaped. Video posted
barring gatherings of peo- a telephone interview. "You used to treat opioid de- Vittore has 1,200 inmates by Foggia Today online
ple and urging Italians to can't leave, and you're in a pendence, said Donato when it should house only showed prisoners climbing
keep a meter (about three place where infectious dis- Capece, secretary gen- 700. the fence with riot police
feet) apart. With more than eases can spread critically. eral of the penitentiary po- In Rome, relatives of in- trying to keep them at bay.
7,300 infected, Italy has Obviously inmates know lice union. On Monday, mates protested outside By Monday evening, 40
more virus cases than any this very well." inmates climbed onto the the Italian capital's two of at least 50 escaped in-
country outside Asia. When prison administrators roof of the San Vittore pris- main prisons after they mates from the Foggia pris-
Human rights advocates limited or suspended family on in Milan and held up a were told only one person on had been recaptured,
had warned that fears of visits, the tensions exploded painted sheet reading "In- would be allowed in to visit Italian state TV said.q
Sex-crimes trial of ex-leader Salmond begins in Scotland

best-known politicians, security guards in the dock because I felt that I had
went on trial Monday ac- at the High Court in Edin- done something wrong al-
cused of sex crimes includ- burgh at the start of the first most and I didn't want peo-
ing attempting to rape a day of the trial, which is ex- ple to know," she said.
woman at the leader's of- pected to last four weeks. Salmond led the pro-inde-
ficial residence. Judge Leeona Dorrian told pendence Scottish Nation-
Salmond, 65, faces a total the jury of nine women al Party for 20 years and
of 14 charges — one of at- and six men that they must headed Scotland's semi-
tempted rape, 11 alleged decide the case on the autonomous government
sexual assaults and two al- evidence and not "allow as its first minister from 2007
leged indecent assaults yourselves to be swayed by to 2014.
— against 10 women be- sympathy or prejudice." A major figure on the Scot-
tween 2008 and 2014. The woman said Salmond tish political stage for de-
He denies all the allega- had groped her after a cades, he took Scotland
tions. Salmond's lawyer, May 2014 dinner for sup- to the verge of indepen-
Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond arrives at the High Gordon Jackson, said he porters of Scottish indepen- dence from the U.K. by
Court for the first day of his trial, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Monday, would make a defense of dence at the first minister's holding a 2014 referendum
March 9, 2020. consent to several of the Bute House residence in on separation. He stepped
Associated Press charges, and for another Edinburgh, leaving her "em- down as leader after the
Associated Press Scottish First Minister Alex he would say he had an ali- barrassed and humiliated." "remain" side won the vote
LONDON (AP) — Former Salmond, one of Scotland's bi. Salmond stood between "I didn't speak to anybody 55% to 45%.q